Drug abuse has become a growing issue in society as drug popularity rises thanks in part to their hallucinogenic, elevating, and muscle enhancing effects. As regulatory agencies look to restrict usage, users continue to find ways to subvert that regulation. One of the newest drugs, K2, looks to do just that in the athletic field, by avoiding detection in the routine drug tests that players are required to submit to.
America seems to have a singular problem with drug abuse in general. You can look at other countries but I would venture to say that they do not have as wide a selection of drug abuse. Many other countries suffer from drug-related issues but they're often tied to a singular drug. In America marijuana, prescription pharmaceuticals, meth, cocaine, heroin, alcohol, steroids, stimulants, depressants, etc. all share widespread use and abuse--some more than others.
With the renewed attention shown to marijuana legislation in the past few years by politicians and lobbyists, the issue is even more on the forefront. While some would argue that its use is as widespread as alcohol and its affects much less severe, there is still relatively little research on the drug and how its longterm effects might affect our bodies and the neurology of the mind.
With its growth in popularity, has come a crackdown in the professional realm to exclude it (although recent legislation has taken steps toward decriminalization). K2 looks to exploit this exclusion by serving as a loophole for those looking to get the high of pot without getting caught. K2's active ingredient is similar to marijuana, but are able to go undetected in major drug tests. Like marijuana it is widely accessible thanks to its cheap price and the ease with which it can be obtained. However, its health effects seem to be proving more serious, although as of yet there are no deaths reported that were directly caused by K2 : heart attacks, elevated heart rate, seizures, hypertension, panic attacks, passing out, etc.
The article bore special relevance as it quotes SLU's director of toxicology. He describes how for athletes, there is a special risk associated since many athletes already take steroids to improve athletic performance. Mr. Scalzo says, "If you add these stresses to the heart, someone's probably going to have a heart attack from it.".
As a college student, we are perhaps one of the most targeted groups for illicit drug use be it alcohol consumption under the legal age or illegal drug use. While opinions vary on degrees of correctness regarding legislation, I hope at the very least we will all take notice of the very real dangers associated with drug use.
I think one of the main issues regarding use of drugs is that it is considered such a taboo subject. No one really ever explains the specific consequences of abusing drugs, we're just told that drugs are bad. In addition, the anti-drug message is aimed and stopping kids from touching drugs at all rather than teaching people that moderation is key - the message is vaguely similar for alcohol. The college student demographic is bound to be exposed to these drugs at some point, so I feel it would be much better to educate people on the importance of moderation. Most overdoses result not from just taking the drug but are due to taking TOO MUCH of the drug. This message applies not just to illicit drugs but to over-the-counter prescriptions.
ReplyDeleteI liked this article. However, I disagree with the statement that other countries do not suffer with as broad a scale of drug abuse as America. Drugs such as cocaine and marijuana are manufactured and widespread throughout the globe. However, in many societies, drug abuse is either ignored or accepted. Therefore, I would agree that America suffers from an extremely broad range of drug abuse, but I would disagree in that these drugs are available throughout the world.
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